(Details added, first version posted at 12:41)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 25
By Maksim Tsurkov – Trend:
The Azerbaijani government is ready to assist all participants of the international North-South transport corridor in every way possible, said Sahil Babayev, Azerbaijan's deputy economy minister.
He made the remarks while addressing the International Rail Business Forum titled “Strategic partnership 1520: the Caspian region” that kicked off in Baku Nov. 25.
“Azerbaijan, being a member of such multimodal projects as North-South and West-East [transport corridors], sees itself as a regional hub. Logistics and infrastructure development is necessary for development of such international corridors," he said.
One of the important issues of the North-South corridor’s operation is institution of common rules and procedures all along the route, according to Babayev.
"This project should be promoted not only in the region, but also throughout the world. The Azerbaijani government is, in turn, ready to provide full support to partners and members of the North-South corridor,” the deputy minister added.
The North-South Transport Corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link for connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia.
At the initial stage, it is planned to transport 6 million tons of cargo via the North-South corridor per year and to increase the figure to over 10 million tons in the future.